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A Traveler's Guide to the Turamzzyrian Empire
Dragach
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Dragach is a mountainous region, harsh and extreme. The highland
people living here are fierce, having adapted to the harsh environment,
and they have a healthy respect for nature and a hearty appetite
for life. In winter, travel virtually ceases as fierce blizzards
and ice storms plague every road and pass. Humanoids and wild barbarians
still dwell in tribes in the great mountains of Dragach, but their
numbers are much diminished from the past. Dragach and the DragonSpine
mountains serve as a natural barrier against the Elven Nations to
the east.
Connedale
Connedale is a town that sprung up in a valley between two vast
arms of the DragonSpine mountains. The town serves as a way station
at the northern end of MacGregor's pass, providing supplies and
a base camp for those traveling south into the DragonSpine, and
serving as a haven and solace for those traveling north returning
from that treacherous range. It is simultaneously a place of hope
for travel ahead, and a place of woe for fallen comrades.
Krinklehorn
Krinklehorn is a town that has sprung up in a valley in the DragonSpine
range, at the southern end of MacGregor's pass. Krinklehorn is a
small city, well defended and very orderly. It has become home to
many travelers who, upon seeing the daunting DragonSpine?, halted
their northern travels here.
The town was named for a great bighorn ram that confounded hunters
in the region for nearly a decade. The immense sheep was finally
taken by a local hunter by the name of Ewen MacIntyre, but the huntsman's
glory lasted less than a fortnight before he fell to his death on
a treacherous mountain path. Locals claim that MacIntyre fell to
the ghost of the wily Krinklehorn, and from time to time it is reported
that the ram's ghost has been spotted in the mountains near MacGregor's
Pass. Krinklehorn's bust is mounted in the city's moot hall in honor
of both the great ram and the hunter.
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Exports
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Imports
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Iron
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Grain
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Gold
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Oil
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Silver
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Fish
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Gems
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Salt
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Stone
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Hides
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Medicine
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The powerful winds that whistle through Connedale are the source
of much superstition. Roaring gales are regarded as being hungry
and thirsty, and in order to pacify them it is common to throw out
a handful of flour or meal, followed by a bowl of water or milk.
Wishes are whispered to the west wind, and a soft breeze in summer
means good news is sure to follow.
Lanark Falls near Connedale is best known as a pilgrimage site
for those seeking a glimpse of their future. Legend has it that
he who wraps himself in the skin of red deer slain by his own hand
and is laid down alone at the foot of the falls will hear his future
in the sound of the waters.
Every Ivastaen in Krinklehorn a great battle between Winter and
Summer is acted out by the men of the region. The leader of one
company dresses in a long robe trimmed with fur and a tall white
hat. He is armed with a stick of ironwood and a shield of fleece
stretched over a metal frame. The men following him all wear white
fur vests and sing the praises of Winter. The opposing company,
distinguished by their short coats tied with colorful ribbons, is
led by a man in a green robe garlanded with flowers who carries
a leafy branch of hazel and a buckler of woven grass. As a group
they all parade to a field outside the town where the battle is
staged. The men of Winter fling dry brush at their opponents, while
the hordes of Summer return fire with ferns and small flowers. After
much fun and mock-warfare, the victorious Summer leader is carried
by his supporters to the town center, where feasting, drinking,
and assorted games take place over the next several days.
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